Tag: financial plan

When you think “New Year’s Resolution,” what comes to mind? Most people think of things like diet and exercise plans, relational commitments and career goals. But what about your finances? In the same way that you need to make an effort to keep your body healthy, healthy finances require work, too. Here are five steps to help you plan for good financial health in the coming year.

No, this is not another article about how to save money on gifts. There are already way too many people out there whose only “financial” thought right now is whether to buy their nephew an expensive new iPad or stick with a cheaper video game. And while that’s an important decision, there are also a number of personal financial loose ends that you should be taking care of before the end of the year.

Here are some ways to save (or at least not lose) your hard-earned money.

We’ve wrangled up 10 of our favorite financial experts to share the wisdom of their financially-savvy ways in a new article series called, “Leave It to the Pros.” First up: Chuck J. Rylant, MBA, CFP and author of new book, “How to Be Rich: The Couple’s Guide to a Rich Life Without Worrying About Money.”

With all the bad economic news America has witnessed during the past few years, people are more familiar than ever before with the concept of financial risk. Stock prices can go down as well as up. Housing prices can plunge as well as surge. It’s all too possible to lose a job and not be able to find a new one anytime soon.

But in addition to these prominent financial risks that are always in the news, many people are facing various “hidden risks” to their personal finances, without necessarily thinking of them as “risks.”

Every person in this country could use some financial planning help to make the smartest choices possible with their money. From my perspective as a wealth coach and Certified Financial Planner professional today, I wish that I had known a financial planner 25 years ago when I was starting out on my own. I would have made very different financial decisions along the way and would be in a much better place today if I had. Having been both a financial planner and financial planning client, I put together this list of the six secrets to choosing a financial planner.

When you get yourself into debt, it affects more than your credit score and bank account balance. Financial woes can take a toll on your mental health and even trickle into physical ailments that affect your body and overall health. Learn about the connection between financial and mental health, as well as ways to help keep your financial woes from creating health problems for your body or your mind.

We’re all aware of inspiring adages such as, “Follow your dreams and the money will follow,” or, “Anything you can imagine, you can do,” or, “Reach for the highest star.” While it is important to have hope and inspiration to achieve as much as you can, a problem may arise if dreaming of achieving distant goals becomes a form of avoidance and procrastination. Yes, you still can write that novel that Hollywood will buy for an insane amount of money. And, yes, you can still start that wevbsite that generates millions. Keep working at it, but also make sure you also have a realistic view – and plan – for your future

Budgeting can seem like math minus the fun – and we all know how fun math is. What’s exciting about adding up all your expenses and seeing that you spend way too much each month and need to cut back? Or maybe you put everything on your check card so you won’t overspend. Genius, right? Except you’re not building credit then, and unless you’ve also set up an automated transfer into a savings account, you’re probably not retaining any money either. But many people don’t want to hear that. Let’s examine five common myths that keep people from budgeting.